ESPN's Joe Beninati

Six Reasons why Hamilton can win the Steinfeld Cup.

First of all, let's acknowledge the obvious: Hamilton can't win it all if they don't get into postseason play. Assuming they take care of business against Long Island in Week 12 and/or the tie-breaker math works in their favor, the Nationals have these six things going for them in the playoffs:

1. Brodie Merrill — When it comes to game-changing, game-altering abilities few people in Major League Lacrosse have this man's impact. Offensively, he wields the longstick with the ease of an attackman, creating scoring chances for himself and for his teammates. Defensively, he has an uncanny knack for anticipating ground-balls from the face-off, and he still has shutdown capability of the opponent's top midfield scoring threat. He plays a ton of minutes, and even as well-conditioned as he is, that's tough on back-to-back days.

2. Midfield scoring muscle — For Hamilton to succeed in Annapolis, it must receive major production from their midfielders. Joe Walters leads this gang, but he can't do it alone, names like Jordan Hall, Kevin Crowley, Brett Bucktooth, David Earl and Jeremy Thompson have to sign-in on the scoresheet.

3. A legend returns — I am sure that my esteemed colleague in the booth (yes, that's you, you paragon) will take a shot at Hamilton's decision to add Casey Powell to its ranks. I can hear all the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" comments. Any time you can put the all-time MLL point-scoring leader in your line-up, you do it, and trust that he will acclimate himself quickly.

4. Young legs — More often than not, veteran players take the lead in the MLL playoffs, that's been proven year after year. But Hamilton's rookie class is so influential to its success, they could be difference-makers in a tournament that takes place in one quick weekend. First-year pros Jeremy Boltus, Stephen Keogh, Crowley, Earl, Thompson, Kevin Ridgway, Matt Dolente and Dan Burns bring loads of youthful enthusiasm.

5. Mister Rodgers — His subpar week 11 performance vs. Boston notwithstanding, Scott Rodgers has the potential to steal a game in goal. When he gets hot, we have seen him slam the door in the face of the opposition. His leadership quotient is unquestioned by the Nationals, but the leader has to be sharp with his No.1 job description: Stop the ball.

6. Gait-way to Glory — When at their best, the Nats move the ball with exquisite skill. Talent helps in that regard, and so too does the coaching of Gary Gait. The assstant coach/offensive coordinator of the Nationals won the MLL championship title three times as a player, and his guidance could play a major role in moving the Steinfeld Cup north of the border once again.

2. Defense — The defensive scheme isn't always the right match-up. Hamilton double poles up and shorts an attackman as their base defense. They play both Steve Waldeck and Brodie Merrill up top against midfielders, which causes midfield-oriented teams some headaches, but against an opponent with three dodging attackmen that will spell defeat. If Hamilton shorts LI's or Denver's attack, they will be in treacherous territory.

3. Casey Powell — Powell made his first appearance since 2008, contributing four points in the loss to Boston. But adding a player on Aug. 6 can't help team chemistry. The future Hall-of-Famer will be challenged to assimilate into the Nationals culture so late in the campaign. Why change what's working so well?

5. Clearing — Hamilton has struggled to clear the rock. Aside from Steve Waldeck and Brodie Merrill, Hamilton lacks charismatic poles who can handle the pill under duress. Scotty Rodgers is an elite stopper, but nobody would ever confuse his out of the goal skills with John Galloway or Greg Cattrano.

6. Strength of Schedule — Hamilton is hot right now, you can't debate that. But let's not forget that three of their wins have come against Rochester. And Hamilton has been fortunate to play LI (July 1) and Chesapeake (July 30) at opportune moments — both opponents at the time of faceoff were not playing their best ball. On Saturday, Boston showed them who's boss, sending goalie Scott Rodgers an early shower.

Joe Beninati and Quint Kessenich cover MLL for the ESPN networks. You are guaranteed to see memorable things when you attend MLL Championship weekend in Annapolis, Md., on Aug. 27 and 28. Southwest Airlines gets you there cheap.